WHAT DO YOU DO ALL DAY by Amy Scheibe

Jennifer is a stay-at-home-mom (better known as a SAHM). She used to work and she misses it--sometimes, sort of. Her husband leaves for days at a time and her mother-in-law is a monster. Her ex-boyfriend of her youth shows up, her husband's boss makes passes at her and she has a gay boyfriend. And her father admits that her step-mother is her mother but he's her step-father.

Yeah, there is a lot going on in this book, most of which is predictable and contrived. However, this is chick lit and one shouldn't expect art from such books. As I said in my earlier post, I was just look something to "bring me down" from A Thousand Splendid Suns and What Do You Do All Day fit the bill.

The story is, well, nothing fantastic. However, if this book is read as a collection of related essays or short stories without trying to impose a plot, it's actually quite entertaining. Scheibe is a good wordsmith, if not a strong plotter. Jennifer, the central SAHM, is a complex character--one to whom I think most women could relate.

I would recommend this book...just don't think too hard about it.

A THOUSAND SPLENDID SUNS by Khaled Hosseini

Boy, that Khaled Hosseini must be a lot of fun at dinner parties. I love The Kite Runner, but I felt that I needed about 12 therapy sessions once I finished it. At least with A Thousand Splendid Suns, I think I only need 6 therapy sessions.

This is an excellent book, although not quite as excellent as The Kite Runner. It centers around the relationship of two women, Mariam and Laila, who are married to the same abusive man. The story is set against the turmoil of afghanistan from the 80's until the early 2000's--fun times, indeed.

When I first heard about the story line, my first thought was, "Big Love, Taliban style." But it's nothing like that. At the risk of sounding too trite and cliche, it's the story of the triumph of the human spirit (I warned you, trite and cliche!). It's not a pleasant book by any means, although it is an easier read in those terms that The Kite Runner. And, unlike The Kite Runner, the protaganists are actually likeable and you don't spend the entire book hoping they get a door in the face (which they actually do get in this book) or walk out in public with their fly open (which does not happen--I don't think burqas have zippers).

One thing that truly hit, that did not in The Kite Runner, was the living conditions in Kabul. I would read pages and pages, thinking that this is something that happened ages ago, when all of a sudden people are watching bootlegged copies of Titanic and going ga ga over Leonardo diCaprio. I think that Hosseini's greatest gift is not necessarily his stories, as excellent as they may be, but his ability to open the eyes of Western Society to the hell that was, and may still be, Afghanistan.

My verdict...read it. Don't wait for the paperback copy.

Now, I'm off to read something a little less taxing...like chick lit.

HARRY POTTER AND THE DEATHLY HOLLOWS by J. K. Rowling

Well, I was able to finish it within a month. In my own defense, though, I do have many other things going on in my life right now and Harry Potter just wasn't at the top of my list of priorities.

That being said....what did I think of this particular book?

• Did I think this particular book was outstanding? No...


• Did I think this particular book is the best J.K. Rowling has written? No...


• Did I thoroughly enjoy this particular book? No...

But, the thing is, it isn't about this particular book. I firmly believe it is impossible to take apart the Harry Potter series and look at it book by book, especially now that the series has been completed.

That being said...what did I think of the Harry Potter series?
Did I think it was an outstanding series? Yes!
Did I think it was the best J.K. Rowling has written? Yes (but then, I have no other Rowling material with which to compare it)
Did I thoroughly enjoy this series? Yes!

This book does answer many questions--some of which weren't ever actually asked. It does drag from time to time and the "side plot" of the Deathly Hallows isn't even truly necessary. While I think some of the other books did need to weigh 10 pounds, this one had more than it's share of fluff.

But, if you've read the other book, you have to read this one. It's like seeing "The Return of the Jedi" after seeing "Star Wars" and "The Empire Strikes Back" (I'm ignoring the existence of the newer prequels in that series). You just have to do it.

And it is an excellent series! I don't think anyone can argue that. And, rest assured, the series ending is satisfactory (that is, the way the story ends is quite good--and it ends in the second to last chapter. The very last chapter was incredibly stupid and had nothing to do with the story. I suggest just skipping it.) And I do think this is something everyone should read--if for no other reason than they will need to know all the Potter-isms to be able to carry a conversation. I was recently complaining about airline passenger conditions when I said, "Well, I guess we have to live with it until muggles learn to disapparate." A co-worker, who is smug and annoying and refuses to read or see Harry Potter, had no clue what I was speaking about. It was classic!

The sad thing is the vast majority of readers were unable to experience these books fully. Honestly, I believe the best way to read these is to start with Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (or "Philosopher's Stone," depending on what country you live in) when you are 11 years old and then read one book a year until you finish with this particular book when you are 17. Unfortunately, most of us will never have the chance to experience that.

Now, however, I'm off to another book. I began Khaled Hosseini's A Thousand Splendid Suns last night and, thanks to the fact that my Studmuffin was finally able to start Harry Potter, I have some time to read again!